The passion of two philhellene ambassadors for the needy children of Greece and their efforts to help this urgent cause recently landed in Canada in the form of the Greek non-governmental organization, "The Smile of the Child," to be introduced to the Greek-Canadian Diaspora and seek its financial support.
This arrival was made possible when former Canadian Ambassador to Greece, Robert Peck, contacted his peer, former Belgian Ambassador to Greece, Marc Van den Reeck, currently in charge of international co-operation for "The Smile of the Child," with the possibility of promoting an information campaign for the multi-dimensional work of the organization in Canada, to be addressed, not only to the local Diaspora, but to other Canadian philanthropic entities as well. The ultimate goal being to obtain financial and material aid in support of the actions of the Greek organization in its efforts to address the challenges currently faced by thousands of children and their families in Greece.
In startlingly fluent Greek, the former Belgian ambassador stated, "we are here to mobilize the Hellenes of Montreal to assist the Greek children in need, as well as other children of the refugee crisis, to whom "The Smile of the Child "offers its many services. We are not here to attribute political responsibility for the seven ongoing years of the Greek crisis nor for the refugee drama, but, rather, to strengthen the forces of "The Smile of the Child." Our aim is to contribute to the fate of children who have had the misfortune to be born and raised within such internal and external crises."
As Mr. Van den Reeck noted, "the crisis has had a huge impact on the whole of Greek society but particularly on young children who have witnessed their families become progressively poorer, with their parents losing their jobs as a result of the continuously worsening surrounding atmosphere."
The president of international co-operation for the organization stressed that "The Smile of the Child" covered the annual needs of some 20,000 Greek children back in 2012 but, by the end of 2015, it had been called upon to provide for over 95,000, a significant number of which are the children of refugees.
"Children are children. They have no color, religion or origin. It is our duty to help the children of the refugee expatriation as 40% of the refugees in Greece are minors. We offer all our actions, equipment, volunteers and support centers, aiding in the reunification of families and providing other services in the daunting task of helping the children of the refugee crisis. If there were no "Smile of the Child," the Greek state would have had to invent it in these crucial times," quipped Mr. Van de Reeck.
"The Smile of the Child" is a non-profit organization that has been in operation for over 20 years without the use of any public funding other than European Union structural funds (NSRF), relying mainly on sponsorships from corporations and individuals and from the revenue generated from the sale of crafts from its workshops.
As Mr. Van den Reeck stressed, "it is moving that, during this crisis, Greek ordinary people continue to contribute, even from the remains of their piggy banks, to "The Smile of the Child," strengthening, not only our economic basis, but our moral one as well. From their meager savings, Greece's citizens are donating to help children who desperately need us."
The complaint of the former Belgian ambassador is that the Greek state continues to demand the organization pay property, vehicle and other taxes, refusing to distinguish its proven major role from other non-governmental organizations whose work is often vague and unclear.
In 20 years of action, more than 1,000,000 children have been offered assistance with some 380 that have been exposed to violence and neglect being entrusted to the care of "The Smile of the Child" regaining a "family" in one of its 11 houses throughout Greece.
As well, more than 12,000 refugee and migrant children have been fended for on a monthly basis through "The Smile in the Aegean," a new initiative created by "The Smile of the Child" earlier this year. Through this program, many children have been sheltered from operational hazards and youth prostitution and have been given health services and emergency assistance. Also, much has been done with respect to the search for missing unaccompanied minors and with the reunification of families.
On the organization's plans to open another guesthouse in Mytilene, where refugees have been arriving en masse from Turkey, Mrs. Pigi Protopsalti, co-ordinator of the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, stressed that there is an old house that has been donated to "The Smile of the Child" and which can be converted into a home for the children of refugees right in the middle of one of the hot spots of the refugee influx.
In Canada, the organization's team took every opportunity to demonstrate the importance of its work with children, as well as the challenges involved with child protection, to a number of the leaders of the Hellenic-Canadian community, Canadian government officials and other dignitaries.
In Montreal, "The Smile of the Child" met with the Consul-General of Greece in Montreal, Nicholaos Sigalas, and with many others, such as the directors of "The Magic Mission," a local organization that has become a key supporter of "The Smile of the Child."
In Ottawa, "The Smile of the Child's" representatives were greeted by the Greek Ambassador to Canada, George Marcantonatos, where they held meetings with members of the Hellenic Ladies Benevolent Association of Ottawa, Hellenic-Canadian Member of Parliament, Peter Fragiskatos, and with Gillian Barth, the President of "CARE Canada," a non-governmental organization dedicated to combatting poverty around the world.